Stockton Students Find Hope for Bridgeton’s Sunset Lake After Semester of Resource
Assessment

Galloway, N.J. - Bridgeton City Park served as a community classroom for Stockton University students
studying environmental issues with Emma Witt, assistant professor of Environmental
Science. After a semester-long resource assessment of the Cohansey watershed and Sunset
Lake, the class presented their findings and recommendations to Bridgeton Mayor Albert
Kelly and city officials.

Months of data collection has provided a solid baseline and hope for the lake, which
is closed to swimmers due to bacteria. The students called for continued monitoring
to collect a more complete data set, which is necessary to take the next steps in
creating a healthier, more diverse ecosystem.

The Cohansey watershed and Sunset Lake have a history of support for the agriculture,
iron and timber industries. The waterways connect Bridgeton to the Delaware Bay and
offer an escape into nature within an urban environment.

On the bicentennial of the Sunset Lake raceway (hand-dug in 1811 for timber transport),
severe storms caused significant damage resulting in a drained lake. With help from
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), water re-entered the raceway in 2015, but high bacteria levels have since ended
swimming in the lake.

Students gained experience in testing water samples for total coliforms, nitrate and
total phosphorus, building on work shared by the Cumberland County Health Department
and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. The students recommended more comprehensive and
long-term testing to add to existing data and gain a clearer picture of the situation.

Other teams of students looked at macroinvertebrates, which are indicators of water
quality, and found the highest populations were species that are the most tolerant
of pollution. Fish, reptiles, amphibians, raptors and waterfowl, including a large
population of resident geese, were also studied through seine netting and observation,
sometimes by kayak for the waterfowl that live past the shoreline.

Thomas Johnson, a senior Environmental Science major from Tabernacle, Burlington County,
flew a drone to access the more remote areas in search of suitable habitat.

Kimberly Dudek, a senior Environmental Science major from Pine Beach, Ocean County,
explained that her work focused on answering the question: “What can we do to improve
the health of the forest and increase biodiversity?”

Her team gained hands-on experience developing a forest management plan tailored to
the park environment. They found a healthy oak-dominated forest that could benefit
from some clear cuts and thinning of trees to open up space that would attract species
that prefer a young forest habitat. Controlled burning is a management technique they
would avoid, based on the proximity to residents in the city.

Other recommendations included more detailed signage to educate the community about
the biodiversity, a nine-hole disc golf course to increase visitation, installation
of birdhouses and bat houses by volunteers, seeking Green Acres grant funding for
future projects and additional pedestrian signage for safety in areas where trails
cut across roadways.

Mayor Albert Kelly said, “This partnership is made in heaven. It gives us great information
about the resources we have in our city and Stockton went far and above what I had
expected. The students gave us a plan that reinforces some things we need to do in
our entire recreational park area. Having students at Stockton was fantastic for us.
I look forward to a greater and even more in-depth relationship with Stockton because
they can do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.”

Blake Maloney, president of the Cohansey Area Watershed Association (CAWA) and a resident
who lives on the lake, was very excited to learn about the students’ efforts.

CAWA, which meets once a month, conducts water sampling and cleanups and involves
area schools and volunteers in helping to protect the natural areas. As someone who
fishes, kayaks and canoes on the lake, Maloney said, “I love it. The lake has always
been there for everybody.”

Dawn Watkins, who grew up in Bridgeton and has worked on a number of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives, connected Stockton, where she works
in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, with her hometown. She knew that
the lake contamination had to be addressed and saw an opportunity for students to
“put their skills to work in a real-world setting” which would benefit the city and
provide them with an experience that could make a difference.